Brown Stains On Floor And Walls Of Pool

by Don

I have tested stains and they appear to be iron stains; lighter brown with no shape. I have used Abscorbic acid - 1st time 1 lb and 2nd time 1 lb. the next day (after lowering chlorine down to 0 for both) and an algacide. The pool ran for 24/7. Hopefully no pool repair or pool surfacing will be needed. I hope I don't have to remove water from pool even if I have yellow pool water and hope to get my swimming pools clean.

It is difficult to determine but the stains are still there although lighter in some areas and gone in a very few. After letting pool set overnight again, I added 2 lbs of Suncoast Iron & Cobalt stain remover ( an hour ago).

If this does not work what can I do to get the stains removed from the 80% of the pool floor they cover? Brown stain on pool liner? Common swimming pool problems?

Thanks for the question Don

Ascorbic acid treatments are not fun but are part of having metal stains. You can find the remedy for ascorbic acid treatment in this link:

This is normally not a one shot deal. A metal sequestrant does not remove metal from pool water. It holds it in solution until it can get filtered. Then you backwash the metal out.

Because metal sequestrants break down over time and get filtered and backwashed out, you will need to add a bottle once per week.

Be sure you're using a PolyQuat 60 algecide, not a 30 or linear algaecide. Many of them have copper in them so you're defeating the purpose and spening more money. It's best to try to stay on top of the sequestrant.

Also, be careful in raising your chlorine after the AA. If you raise it too quickly the water can turn orange. This is one of the rare times I advise people to use a PolyQuat 60 algaecide. During the AA treatment it's good if you can brush to loosen up any stuborn stains.

If you need immediate assistance (within 24 hrs) or for emergency personal assistance, you can make a donation of your choice and I'll answer your questions by phone.

Brown Fluffy Stuff On Bottom Of Pool

by Suzanne
(Talladega, AL)

I WAS TOLD I HAD MUSTARD ALGAE & AFTER TREATING IT THERE IS A BROWN FLUFFY RESIDUE THAT SEEMS TO BE GONE AFTER VACCUMING BUT COMES RIGHT BACK A FEW HOURS LATER. MY POOL STORE SAYS THE ALGAE IS DEAD & IT IS JUST HARD TO GET RID OF THE DEAD RESIDUE.I'VE BEEN FIGHTING THIS FOR 2 YEARS OR MORE.

I have an above ground pool, clear water, I have a power ionizer & shock the pool every week & only the bottom has this brown stuff. My pool has a cartridge filter & holds 17,500 gal.

Thanks for the question Suzanne

I'd like to have your complete chemical readings, the actual numbers:

Chlorine, CYA (cyanuric acid/stabilizer), pH, Alkalinity, Calcium Hardness, and Metals (iron and copper) and names of any algaecides you may have used along with clarifiers, phosphate removers, and/or flocs. It makes troubleshooting much easier and the process of clearing up your pool will go much faster.

Next question would be if you notice any brown stuff or debris coming out of the returns during filtration or vacuuming? If so it could be a cartridge issue, maybe torn or ripped pleats. When you vacuum any dirt should stay in the filter.

One test you can do is to take a chlorine tab and put it on an affected area. If it lightens up it's organic and can probably be treated by balancing the chems and shocking. If it doesn't lighten up it could be metals. You may also have bacteria growing under the liner but we need to determine the first course of action.

Get back to me with the numbers and we can go from there.

I hope this has answered your question to your satisfaction.

To post a reply, or if you have a similar question, you can see your post on the Q&A page in the "Algae/Green Pool Water" category.

Check back to this post for updates or answers.

If you feel your situation is more complex and want immediate assistance (within 24 hrs) you can make a donation of your choice and I'll answer your questions by phone.

Have I helped you find a solution to your pool problems? Did this information help you? Please consider making a donation to help keep this site going. Thank you.

Brown Dust In Pool

by John
(Royal Oak Mi. )

I just want to way in on this problem. My pool store guy said it was not Algiers but it was metals from using cheaper chlorine tablets and cheaper shock. So basically I was making my problem worse trying to fix it. My pool guy gave me a floc clarifier and we vacuumed to waste. And we did it multiple times. But we are now enjoying our pool. Also I dealt with this for 4 or 5 years.

Brown Spots on Bottom of Vinyl Salt Water Pool

The information I read was for a chlorine pool but I have a vinyl salt water pool with a few brown spots on bottom that wont come off. The pool is filled with water, so I don't know how to put something on the spots themselves. Any solutions would be appreciated.